Hotel booking process design & usability

TABLE 21: Task failure, by task
Site name 
Number of failures 
Reservation with child 
Different occupancy level 
Room A – Double room, two adults
Room B – Any room, one child (15 years old)
5
Different room / rate type 
Same occupancy level
Room A – Double room, two adults
Room B – Twin room, two adults

2
Same room / rate type 

Different occupancy level
Room A – Double room, one adult
Room B – Double room, two adults
2
Standard Requirement 
Room A - Double Room, two adults
1
Source: Travel UCD Research, January 2003
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Hotel booking process design & usability 
Travel UCD – February 2003 
TABLE 22: Task failure, by site 
Site name 
Number of failures 
Expedia 4
Accor 4
Opodo 2
Travel Select
0
Source: Travel UCD Research, January 2003
Each of the four sites was visited 12 times, and each task conducted 12 times – so the maximum
score could be 12 errors (maximum one error per task)

TABLE 23: Breakdown of task failures
Number of 
errors 
Site name 
Explanation
3 Expedia
Children 
Problems with the method of adding children to rooms. All three users
were confused by the automatic adding of an adult to the room with the
child:
The users tried to remove the adult, but were unable. The site offers no
explanation as to why the process occurs. Two of the users said they
would contact the site at this stage. (Refer to section 5.2.2 about
children rule)
2 Accor